Sometimes I get my feelings hurt. I feel left out, discounted, ignored or slighted. One of my professors several years ago said, "No one can make you feel something, its your perception that gives the emotion."
Okay. Fine counseling words. I learned to try to erase the phrase, "You made me feel..." from my vocabulary and to even think about why emotions are rearing their ugly heads. Imagine little green heads like sock puppets with badges saying things like envy, self-pity, judgement or disdain sneering at you (or me ;) ).
Why do I feel the negative things? Most often it's because I'm letting my own perceptions of a situation impact my emotions instead of taking things at face value with a positive outlook. I'm on the defensive and those green sock puppet guys grow and start to get some serious attitude.
You know what that is, right? Those green sock puppet guys are sin, separating me from God and from His blessings. My own insecurities start to control my feelings and perceptions. Other people don't make me feel, sin and separation make me feel
In Tenth Avenue North's Song, "You Are More," they sing:
This is not about what you feel,
But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved
But it's not even about what I feel, is it? Not really. I can spend a lot of time navel gazing, worrying about my own bruised ego and hurt feelings. What do I get? An eye full of lint (green sock puppet lint. Yuck!) and a bad attitude.
When I remember to put others first, put the glory of God before myself, my "hurt feelings" (or false perceptions??? hmmm???) seem to shrink away and the joy of serving for the sake of serving gets its proper place of prominence in my life. The green sock puppets of sin melt like the witch in The Wizard of Oz in a rainshower and I am left feeling the love of God. That's the feeling that doesn't come from my own pereceptions and self-deception, but from what He gave to me.
May you feel His Love.
-Peace
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